Busch wins rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Mother Nature turned Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 into the Lenox 284, punctuating her decision with a downpour that gave Kurt Busch hit first NASCAR Sprint Cup win of the year.

Paul Ring

Mother Nature turned Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 into the Lenox 284, punctuating her decision with a downpour that gave Kurt Busch hit first NASCAR Sprint Cup win of the year.

“We wanted to pit as soon as we could because we couldn’t make it on fuel,” Busch said.

They filled the tank on lap 221, but they still needed some help to make it to the end.

“We were one of the first cars that pitted,” Busch said. “When you jump in that bed, you have to lie in it. And we were down in the points where we needed to take a little bit of a gamble.”

Busch and the rest of the top-five finishers chose to stay out as the skies threatened rain and the faster drivers sought out a splash of fuel or new tires on lap 273.

Busch inherited first place.

“I told Kurt we were going to stay on the race track and take a gamble,” said crew chief Pat Tryson. “Today it worked and it got us a win.”

New Hampshire Motor Speedway officials made a big deal of adding a lap to the race after a close finish last year. Turns out they couldn’t even make the original 300-lap distance.

Don’t ask second-place Michael Waltrip about the rain giving him the position.

“It wasn’t the rain,” he said. “It was a track position, strategy playing out at the end. When you come to Loudon, you know (pit) strategy is going to play a huge part in the race.”

Waltrip has had some tough times over the past few years, including a scandal at Daytona in 2007 that nearly cost him his sponsorship.

“It’s amazing that NAPA Auto Parts is still on my car after what we went through,” Waltrip said. “To do anything good for them is my way of saying thank you.”

J.J. Yeley has also been a stranger in the post-race interview room.

“This is a place you want to be every week,” Yeley said after finishing in third place. “This particular week I found the back door so I could sneak in and sit in this seat.”

Martin Truex Jr. finished in fourth place, followed by Elliot Sadler.

“We had a good car at the beginning of the race,” Truex said, “but the track just completely went away from us. We got so tight we couldn’t do anything to fix it. I’m glad to get a good finish for all the guys.”

Polesitter Patrick Carpentier led the first four laps, but after that he said his car went away from him, too.

“I thought they were going to go by me halfway down the back stretch,” Carpentier said, “but I held my own and stayed up front for a little bit and run with these guys. I’m really happy.”

Casey Mears, who will lose his seat at the end of the year, followed up his fifth-place finish last week in Sonoma, Calif, with a seventh Sunday, behind Reed Sorenson.

“There are a lot of things going on lately,” Mears said. “So, to have as good a run as we did, I’m just real proud. We had a top-five car and we came out seventh, so that’s a good day for us.”

Tony Stewart started in 28th and moved up through the field to lead the most laps, 132, yet fuel calculations forced him to pit with the leaders.

“It’s disappointing for all of us on the Home Depot team,” Stewart said. “I guarantee you there’s a crew chief down there (Greg Zipadelli) that they’re hiding sharp objects from right now. It’s just the oddest year I’ve ever seen for this race team.”

Stewart said he and Zipadelli thought about staying out, but didn’t.

“That’s part of racing.” Stewart said. “That’s the gamble you take sometimes. The result today wasn’t indicative of how our car was and how hard our team worked. That’s racing man. That’s the way it happens sometimes.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to its roots next Saturday night for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Paul Ring can be reached at 508-626-3821 or pring@cnc.com. Read more in the Catch Can auto racing blog at blogs.metrowestdailynews.com/thecatchcan.